Drying or desiccating apparatus



Jan. 16, 1923. v 1,442,179. 1

` 1. SCHNEIBLE.

DRYING 0R DESICCATING APPARATUS.

FILED AUGJI. 1920. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

HWHHFWF Jan- 16 1923' 1. SCHEIBLE.

DRYING 0R DESICCATIN'G APPARATUS. man AuG.27. 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

vings, the numeral o Patented Jan. 16, 1,923.

UNITED STATES JOSEPH SCHNEIBLE,'OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DRYING OR DESICCATING APPARATUS.

Application led August 27, 1920. Serial No. 406,278.

To all whom it may cof/wem:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH SCHNEIBLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, inthe county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Drying or Desiccating Api paratus, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in apparatus for-desiccating or drying fruits, vegetables, drugs, and-other materials, more particularly Where careful control of the rate andtemperature of drying are of importance. It willbe fully understood from the following description of a specific embodiment thereof, illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a view of a. device suitable for carrying out the present invent-ion, partly diagrammatic and partly in vertical section, and

Fig. 2 is a plan view, partiallyl broken away of the drying device shown in sec- Vtion in Fig. 1.

Referrig more particularly to the draw indicates a chamber, preferably of the form of a vertically disposed cylinder` and provided centrally with a\frustoconical depression or sump 6. An annular carrier 7 is rotatably mounted within the chamber 5, for-example by means of wheels 8 travelingion circular tracks 9.

The carrier 7 is provided with tiers of trays for the reception of the materials to be desiccated, and may be suit-ably constructed in the following manner: Upon the base .plate of the carrier 7 tray supports 10 extending radially' with respect to the carrier are mounted, these supports being preferably arranged in vertical alignment. The supports 10 are preferably formed as angle irons upon which the sector-like trays 11 may be removably positioned, and are secured to uprights 12 on the outer periphery of the carrier i7 and to a vertical cylindrical member 13 which forms the central portion of the carrier. A series of coils 14 for heating fluid surround lthe carrier 7 except for the space opposite the door 15a provided in the peripheral wall of the chamber 5, for the insertion and removal of trays.

The central cylindrical member 13 of the carrier 7 is provided with `openings 11a opposite each of the trays carried by it and likewise supports a series of cylindrical shields 15 by means of flanges 16, each of these shields being disposed inside of a horizontally aligned series of openings 14a. A

circular distributing pipe 17, perforated as indicated at 17a, fed with cooling liquid from pipe 18, is arranged in the chamber 5 near its top, and Within the central member 13 of the carrier 7. A central cylinder 19, open at thevtop and closed at the bottom, projects downwardly ,from the top of the chamber 5 to approximately the bottom thereof, being positioned within the distributer 17 for cooling`liquid. The depression or sump 6 is drained through pipe 20 by means of pump 21, the liquid withdrawn therefrom being forced throughthe countercurrent cooler 22 back to feed pipe 18 and distributing pipe 17.

A door 15a is provided in the vertical peripheral wall, and is somewhat wider than the widest part of the-sectorllike removable trays 12 so that the latter may be readily inserted and removed. Just within the door 15a and in the space between the peripheral wall of the chamber 5 and the carrier two radial vertical partition members 23, 23 are provided, one on each side of the door openmg.

In carrying out the present process in the deyice illustrated the vertical tiers of tray supports upon the carrier 7 are successively filled with trays containing the material to be dried as the carrier is rotated past the door, the drying action being begun as soon as the first tier has been filled and moved past the door. The heating medium, for example, steam, is introduced into the heating coils 14,`being controlled to heat the air in the chamber 5 to the desired temperature,

and theicooling medium, for example, water, is sprayed from the distributing plpe 17 into the center of the device, the shields or bafiies 15 preventing its passage through the openings 14 in the central member 13 of the carrier. The cooling liquid, together with the water which may be condensed by it from the atmosphere in the chamber, is withdrawn from the central well 6 by pump 21, passed through cooling device 22 to reduce it to the desiredlow temperature, and returned to the distributing pipel17.

The temperature to which the air within the chamber is heated by the vcoils 14 and the temperature to which it is cooled by thecooling medium may be readily controlled in accordance with the character of the material to bedried andthe desired rate of evaporavao cooling may be, for example, 50 F. and the air may be heated to, say, 150 F. at the rial on the trays at a slower rate.

coils, in which case the air passing over the material to be dried is very low in moisture content and the rate of drying is very rapid. In such case the cooling temperature is in general below the saturation temperature or dew-point of the air after its passage over the material to be dried. If slower rates of drying are desired they may be secured by lowering the temperature of the coils, thereby reducing the ytemperature to which the air is heated, or by raising the temperature of the cooling medium. Thus, if the heated air be at 150 F. and the coolingwater at 110, the air passing over the drying trays will be about one-third saturated with moisture at the beginning of its use and will consequently take up moisture from the mate- Or if the cooling water be maintained at 50 F. and the heating coils be regulated to give the air a temperature of about 82 F. before it passes over the trays, the air will be about vone-third saturated with inoisture and the rate of dryingwill be retarded by this fact and by the lower moisture carrying capacity of the air at the temperature used.

vThe cooling` action of the cooling spray of liquid upon the atmosphere within the chamber in proximity to one margin of the confined area in which the material to be dried is exposed to the atmosphere, and the heating action of the heating coil automatically causes a movement of the air over the material in the direction of the' cooled area. In the device illustrated a circulation of the yair within the chamber is eiected by the return movement of the air under the imperforate' bottom plate of the carrier 7 back to the heating device.

In order to make use of the drying action of the external air, suitable inlet therefor may be provided, for example, the slides 24 lnear the base of the outer wall of the chamber. Outlet slots may be provided around the upper part of the central cylinder 19, as at 25, which may be normally closed by the cylindrical slide 26 provided with corresponding Aopenings 27. The slide may suitably rest on annular flange 28 and be rotated by operation of hand wheel 29 mounted on rod 30 secured to spider 31, which is attachedto slide 26. A suitable outlet flue 32 leads from the top of cylinder 19 to the inlet of suction fan 33. By .opening slide 24; and manipulating hand wheel 29 to rotate slide 26 until openings 25 and 27 are in alignlimitations upon the scope of the invention,

except so far as included in the accompanying claims.

I claim:

1. In a drying device, a closed chamber, means in said chamber for supporting the material to be dried to permit free passage of air ythereover, said supporting means being provided with an imperforate base-plate spaced from the bottom of the chamber, aircooling'means in proximity to one side .of saidV supporting means and above said base plate, thereby producing an air current therethrough in the direction of the cooling means, and heating means in proximity to the opposite side of said supporting means and above said base plate, the space below the imperforate base-plate serving as a passageway lbelow the said supporting means for the return of cooled air to the heating means.

y2. In a drying device, a chamber, means in said chamber for supporting the material tovbe dried to permit free passage .of air thereover, y'and means for spraying cooling liquid in proximity to one side -of said supporting means, thereby producing an air current ,through the supporting means in to be dried to permit free passage of air thereover, and means for'spraying cooling liquid in proximity to one side of said supl porting means, thereby produc-ing an air current through the supporting means in the direction of the saide spraying means, and shields secured to said support to prevent the spray of cooling liquid from contacting with the material upon the support.4

4. In drying apparatus, a cylindrical chamber, an annular carrier rotatably mounted therein, said carrier being provided with means for supporting the material to be dried and permitting freepassage of air thereover, and cooling means centrally located in the chamber within the carrier.

5. In drying apparatus, a cylindrical chamber, an annular carrier rotatably mounted therein, said carrier being provided with means for supporting the material to be dried, and permitting free passage of air thereover, means for spraying cold Water into thel chamber within the carrier and in proximity thereto, and means for withdrawing the sprayed water from 'the chamber.

6. In drying apparatus, a cylindrical chamber, a central depression in the ioor of said chamber, an annular carrier surrounding said depression and rotatably supported in said chamber, said carrier being provided with means for supportingthe material to be dried and permitting free passage of air thereover, means for spraying cooling water into the chamber within the carrier, said Water collectin in said depression, and means for with rawing it therefrom. 4

7. In drying apparatus, a cylindrical chamber, a central depression in the Hoor of said chamber, an annular carrier surrounding said depression and rotatably supported in said chamber, said carrier being provided with means for supporting the material to be dried and permitting free passage of air thereover, means for spraying cooling Water into the chamber within the carrier, means for collecting the liquid, and means for returning it to the spraying means.

8. In drying apparatus, a cylindrical chamber, an annular l carrier rotatably mounted therein, said carrier being provided with means for supporting the material to be dried and permitting free passage of air thereover, cooling means centrally located in the chamber Within the carrier, and a heating coil substantially surrounding said carrier.

9. A carrier for a drying device comprising an annular base-plate, a central perforated cylinder mounted thereon, horizontal radial tray supports secured to the base-plate and to the said cylinder, and means secured inder mounted thereon, horizontal radial tray supports secured to the base-plate and to the said cylinder, shields secured Within the cylinder and protecting the perforations thereof, means for spraying cooling liquid Within the cylinder, and heating means substantially surrounding the earner.

11. A drying device comprising a cylindrical chamber, a carrier rotatably mounted therein, a central cylinder extending down- Wardly into the chamber,th'e chamber being provided with openings in its outer Wall and the'cylinder being provided with openings,

a suction means connected to said Icylinderand means for closing said openings.

12. In drying apparatus, a cylindrical chamber, mounted therein', said carrier having an imperforate base plate and being provided with means for supporting the material to be dried and permitting free passage of air thereover, cooling means centrally located in the chamber Within the carrier and heating means w-ithin the chamber above the plane of said base plate, the space below the base an annular carrier rotatably` plate serving as c a passa eway below the l supporting means for t e movement of cooled air through the heating means from the cooling means.

vJOSEPH bCI-INEIBLE. 

